Mobile communication devices having adaptable features and methods for implementation

ABSTRACT

Provided are communication devices having adaptable features and methods for implementation. One device includes at least one adaptable component and a processor configured to detect an external cue relevant to operation of the at least one adaptable component, to determine a desired state for the at least one adaptable component corresponding to the external cue, and then to dynamically adapt the at least one adaptable component to substantially produce the desired state. One adaptable component comprises at least one adaptable speaker system. Another adaptable component comprises at least one adaptable antenna.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/006,163, filed Jun. 12, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/155,586, filed May 16, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.10,038,956, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/012,540, filed Jan. 24, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/336,837, filed on Jan. 26, 2010, theentire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by referenceherein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to electronic devices andsystems. More particularly, the present invention relates to mobilecommunication devices and systems having adaptable features.

Background Art

As communication devices have matured in everyday use, the oftencountervailing pressures of feature inclusion and overall cost have ledto a progression of devices that are increasingly complex, fragile, hardto exploit fully, and power hungry.

For example, a conventional mobile telephone includes the ability tonetwork with other devices over typically three or more differentcommunication links, where each interface associated with a particularcommunication link is separate and discrete, which takes up immensespace, is costly to provide, and typically represents at least a phantompower draw that, summing over each discrete interface, substantiallyreduces battery life. Moreover, each additional interface increases arisk of interference between interfaces, which almost always increasesdesign costs, and either limits utility or further worsens battery lifedue to additional required amplification and signal segregationcircuitry. These general detriments are particularly troublesomebecause, typically, a communication device user is unable to exploitmore than a few communication interfaces at any one time, yet the useris always subject to the reduced battery life and must pay extra for theprivilege.

In addition to network interface complexity, many conventional mobiletelephones incorporate a wide array of additional discrete sensorcomponents used to detect ambient noise, for example, or to enableautomated features. However, each additional discrete device istypically expensive to manufacture and mount in a mobile telephoneenclosure, particularly as more features are packed into eachcommunication device. Moreover, as each new sensor takes up additionalsurface area of a typical mobile telephone enclosure, the resulting userinterface becomes less intuitive and harder to access while attemptingto exploit the added functionality provided by, for example, newsensors.

In order to offset the increasing materials and design costs of addingeach new market-driven functionality, manufacturers have typicallyturned to relatively inexpensive materials and implementations to formcomponents for communication devices. Unfortunately, such materials andimplementations are typically less robust than more expensive materials,and so the quality of particular component functionality is noticeablyreduced, as is useful lifetime. For example, although speakers areintegral to every electronic communication device, there is constantpressure to make speakers smaller and cheaper to manufacture to makeroom for the space and cost of, for example, additional sensors andadditional network interfaces. This often results in communicationdevice speakers that have substantially distorted outputs and that areextremely fragile in common usage, especially when driven near thesubstantially size and material-dependent limits of their operatingrange.

Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficienciesin the art by providing a communication device that reduces a number andcost of discrete components used to enable desirable features.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present application is directed to mobile communication deviceshaving adaptable features and methods for implementation, substantiallyas shown in and/or described m connection with at least one of thefigures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present invention will become morereadily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewingthe following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 a presents a diagram of a communication device having adaptablefeatures according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1 b presents an illustration of a communication device havingadaptable features according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 presents an illustration of two communication devices havingadaptable features in use, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 presents an illustration of a communication device havingadaptable features according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present application is directed to mobile communication deviceshaving adaptable features and methods for implementation. The followingdescription contains specific information pertaining to theimplementation of the present invention. One skilled in the art willrecognize that the present invention may be implemented in a mannerdifferent from that specifically discussed in the present application.Moreover, some of the specific details of the invention are notdiscussed in order not to obscure the invention. The specific detailsnot described in the present application are within the knowledge of aperson of ordinary skill in the art.

The drawings in the present application and their accompanying detaileddescription are directed to merely exemplary embodiments of theinvention. To maintain brevity, other embodiments of the invention,which use the principles of the present invention, are not specificallydescribed in the present application and are not specificallyillustrated by the present drawings. Unless noted otherwise, like orcorresponding elements among the figures may be indicated by like orcorresponding reference numerals. Moreover, the drawings andillustrations in the present application are generally not to scale, andare not intended to correspond to actual relative dimensions.

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show a communication device including an adaptablespeaker system, according to one embodiment of the present inventiveconcepts. According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b ,mobile telephone 110 includes adaptable speaker system 114 configured todynamically adapt speaker output to improve speaker performance andprevent speaker damage due to a resonance event.

As is well known in the art, resonance in a speaker is highlyundesirable. Even at its least damaging, resonance in a speaker producessubstantial audio distortion. More ominously, however, speaker resonancecan cause displacement of speaker components outside their targeteddesign range, and in some instances results in permanent damage tosensitive speaker elements. As a result, most existing speakerimplementations include a conventional solution directed to avoiding orpreventing a resonance event.

Conventional solutions to avoiding or preventing speaker resonance areessentially static solutions, i.e., solutions based upon predeterminedor static anti-resonance algorithms implemented through the circuitry ofthe mobile device in which the speaker resides. However, because thosepredetermined anti-resonance algorithms are based on performance modelsderived from average device specifications and average speaker responsesin a test lab environment, the static algorithms may work well fordevice speakers having performance profiles close to the average, butmay be substantially less effective and even fail entirely to preventdestructive resonance events for other speakers or even the samespeakers experiencing even slightly different environmental couplingthan that present in a test lab.

For example, a typical speaker for a mobile telephone may be mounted ina mobile telephone enclosure using an automated assembly line thatrequires mounting clearances allowing for slight displacements due toacceptable assembly line alignment errors. However, even slightdifferences in mounting of a speaker in an enclosure, from phone tophone, may change the speaker's mechanical coupling to the enclosureenough to substantially change its performance or resonance profilerelative to the average as modeled in a test lab. Moreover,environmental mechanical and acoustic coupling that goes beyond just amobile telephone enclosure, for example, may similarly change aspeaker's resonance profile. For instance, laying a mobile telephone ona hard metal table, for example, may shift its speaker's resonanceprofile substantially away from a modeled average based on hand use.Similarly, a relatively large change in temperature of a speaker, due towinter conditions for example, may also shift a resonance profilesubstantially away from a modeled average.

By configuring a mobile communication device, such as mobile telephone110 in FIG. 1 a , to adapt power levels for driving a speaker accordingto the dynamically measured performance of the speaker, rather thanaccording to a static, predetermined algorithm, an adaptable speakersystem can be implemented so as to optimize speaker performance whileconcurrently avoiding resonance and risk of damage. In effect,implementation of the present inventive principles results in acommunication device speaker system being dynamically adaptable to itsown response behavior.

Referring to FIG. 1 a , communication device/mobile telephone 110includes central processing unit/digital signal processor (CPU/DSP) 111,memory 112, adaptable speaker system 114, display 115, keypad 116,microphone 117, digital camera 118 and network interface 119. Mobiletelephone 110 may comprise, for example, any communication devicecapable of providing electronic communication with, for example, one ormore other communication devices over a network (not shown) accessedthrough use of network interface 119. Network interface 119 mayadditionally be configured to access other communication devicesdirectly. Mobile telephone 110 may also comprise, for example, anycommunication device capable of accepting user input using keypad 116,microphone 117, and/or digital camera 118, for example, and outputtingto display 115 and/or adaptable speaker system 114. Display 115 may, forexample, comprise an integrated or external LCD display, or the like.Although mobile telephone 110 is depicted in FIG. 1 a as including eachof the above components, the inclusion or exclusion of any suchcomponents is not meant to limit the present inventive concepts. Alsoshown in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b is monitoring and control loop 113 enablingCPU/DSP 111 to dynamically adjust the input signal and/or power levelfor driving adaptable speaker system 114 according to one or moreoperating metrics of adaptable speaker system 114. For example, CPU/DSP111 may be configured to adjust a power level for driving adaptablespeaker system 114 by adjusting a drive voltage for adaptable speakersystem 114. It is noted that although adaptable speaker system 114 isassociated with mobile telephone 110 in the embodiment of FIG. 1 a , inother embodiments, adaptable speaker system 114 can be implemented inany suitable communication device utilizing a speaker and configured toinclude a processor. For example, in addition to mobile telephone 110,adaptable speaker system 114 may be implemented in a personal digitalassistant (PDA) or wireless headset, for example.

According to one example implementation corresponding to FIGS. 1 a and 1b , CPU/DSP 111 of mobile telephone 110 can be configured to adjust theinput signal or the power level for driving adaptable speaker system 114according to a measured current draw by adaptable speaker system 114. Ameasured current draw of adaptable speaker system 114 may be used todetermine a complex impedance of a speaker of adaptable speaker system114, and the complex impedance may indicate an impending resonance eventby becoming relatively low as adaptable speaker system nears a resonanceevent. Because a current drawn by adaptable speaker system 114 maytherefore rise as adaptable speaker system 114 approaches resonance,reducing the input signals or power level for driving adaptable speakersystem 114 when the rise rate or absolute value of its input currentnears, reaches or exceeds a maximum allowable current draw enablesadaptable speaker system 114 to avoid or mitigate a destructive ordistortive resonance event.

For instance, a closed loop approach, such as that represented bymonitoring and control loop 113, can be used to dynamically adjust theinputs to adaptable speaker system 114 in order to avoid audiodistortion and prevent destructive resonance. Monitoring and controlloop 113 may comprise, for example, the steps of detecting an externalcue relevant to operation of an adaptable component (e.g., adaptablespeaker system 114), determining a desired state for the adaptablecomponent corresponding to the external cue, and dynamically adaptingthe adaptable component to produce the desired state, all of which canbe configured to be performed by CPU/DSP 111.

For example, CPU/DSP 111 may detect an external cue relevant to theoperation of adaptable speaker system 114 by measuring a current draw ofadaptable speaker system 114 using, for example, an analog current meterconnected to an analog-to-digital converter that may, for example, beincorporated into either adaptable speaker system 114 or CPU/DSP 111, orboth. Such measurement may include measuring amplitudes of one or morefrequency components of a current draw as well as relative phases of oneor more frequency components of a current draw, for example, in order tosufficiently characterize a complex impedance of a speaker of adaptablespeaker system 114 using, for example, knowledge about an input signaland/or power level for driving adaptable speaker system 114. CPU/DSP 111may determine a desired state for adaptable speaker system 114, forexample, by determining that that a present current draw is nearing amaximum allowable current draw and then determining a correspondingreduced power level for driving adaptable speaker system 114 thatprevents damage due to, for example, a destructive resonance event. Amaximum allowable current draw may comprise a pre-determined, frequencydependent power profile for adaptable speaker system 114, for example,that indicates destructive power limits for adaptable speaker system114. Alternatively, or in addition, a maximum allowable current draw maybe dynamically determined through analysis, by CPU/DSP 111 for example,of a measured current draw of adaptable speaker system 114 over a periodof time, where CPU/DSP 111 may be configured to recognizecharacteristics of such a time-dependent current draw that indicateimpending damage to adaptable speaker system 114. A correspondingreduced power level for driving adaptable speaker system 114 maysimilarly be frequency dependent and may, for example, be configured toprotect adaptable speaker system 114 from damage without unnecessarilyreducing a fidelity of adaptable speaker system 114. CPU/DSP 111 maythen dynamically adapt adaptable speaker system 114 by applying areduced input signal or power level for driving adaptable speaker system114 that prevents damage and allows adaptable speaker system 114 tooperate substantially normally.

Because the input signals and/or power level for driving adaptablespeaker system 114 are permitted by the present approach to remain highwhen a current drawn by adaptable speaker system 114 indicates thatadaptable speaker system 114 is safely away from a detected destructiveresonance event, the overall performance of adaptable speaker system 114can be optimized according to its individual response profile, which, asexplained above, may be dependent on mounting and other environmentalmechanical and acoustic coupling, and may also be dependent on, forexample, manufacturing defects.

In addition, or alternatively, monitoring and control loop 113 may alsobe configured to detect distortion that is unrelated to a resonanceevent. For example, distortion due to, for example, physical damage toadaptable speaker system 114, or over-driving adaptable speaker system114, may be detected through analysis, by CPU/DSP 111 for example, of ameasured current draw of adaptable speaker system 114 over a period oftime. For example, CPU/DSP 111 may be configured to recognize currentswings that are large, but less than a maximum allowable current draw,which indicate audio distortions substantially unrelated to resonanceevents. As explained above, a complex impedance of a speaker ofadaptable speaker system 114 may become relatively low as adaptablespeaker system nears a resonance event, resulting in an increasingcurrent draw that can be measured and used to avoid the resonance event.With respect to audio distortions substantially unrelated to resonanceevents, a complex impedance of a speaker of adaptable speaker system maybecome non-linear, unstable, or otherwise fluctuate over time in amanner substantially disproportional to a power level for drivingadaptable speaker system 114, which may result in a measured currentdraw that is similarly unstable and potentially destructive, but lessthan a maximum allowable current draw. CPU/DSP 111 may be configured torecognize such instability, for example, even though its amplitude isless than a maximum current draw for adaptable speaker system 114. Forexample, as noted above, CPU/DSP 111 may measure amplitudes of frequencycomponents of a current draw as well as relative phases of frequencycomponents, and from such information, determine, for example, whether aspeaker of adaptable speaker system 114 is experiencing distortion atone or more frequencies.

CPU/DSP 111 may then be configured to determine, for example, aparticular frequency dependent digital audio filter to apply to a inputsignal for adaptable speaker system 114 that reduces a detecteddistortion without unnecessarily affecting other portions of the inputsignal and undesirably reducing a fidelity of adaptable speaker system114. Moreover, in addition to retaining fidelity while reducingdistortion, reduction of detected distortion may reduce a risk of damageto adaptable speaker system 114 and/or prolong its useful lifetime.Although relatively low current detected distortion may not immediatelydamage a speaker of adaptable speaker system 114, long periods of suchdistortion may substantially overwork a speaker of adaptable speakersystem 114 and thus reduce its typically material-dependent usefullifetime.

In other embodiments, monitoring and control loop 113 may includeadditional steps comprising, for example, periodically providing a testsignal to adaptable speaker system 114 configured to allow CPU/DSP 111to determine or map present resonance frequencies of adaptable speakersystem 114 in order to avoid subsequent damage during normal operation.Such a test signal may be audible or inaudible, and may be used to mapresonant frequencies at higher frequencies than those typically audibleby a human ear, such as those for ultrasonic signals.

By being able to dynamically adapt to changing resonances and otherconditions that affect operation of a communication device component,such as adaptable speaker system 114, embodiments of the presentinvention provide a speaker system that can be driven louder thansimilarly priced conventional speaker systems, and that can last longerin normal operation by being less subject to risk of damage due todestructive resonance events or general distortion. Moreover,embodiments of the present invention may also provide greater overallfidelity without substantially increasing a cost of a speaker system bymore finely tuning protective and distortion-corrective measures to thespecific resonances and distortions present, rather than according to arelatively blunt and static pre-determined algorithm approach.

Moving to FIG. 2 , FIG. 2 shows two mobile communication devicesconfigured for interactive use, one or both of which may include anadaptable speaker system configured for proximity detection, accordingto one embodiment of the present inventive concepts. User environment200, in FIG. 2 , includes user 202 in possession of mobile telephone 210and wireless headset 220.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , mobile telephone 210 isconfigured to operate interactively with wireless headset 220. Forexample, mobile telephone 210 and wireless headset 220 can be devicesconfigured to access a common wired or wireless communication link 250,such as a USB, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, or WiFi mediated link, forexample. In addition, and as further shown in FIG. 2 , mobile telephone210 includes adaptable speaker system 214 configured for proximitydetection, and wireless headset 220 includes adaptable speaker system224 also configured for proximity detection. Moreover, mobile telephone210 and wireless headset 220 correspond to mobile telephone 110 in FIG.1 a , and adaptable speaker systems 224 and 222 correspond to adaptablespeaker system 114 in FIG. 1 a ; e.g., each corresponding structure maybe configured to exhibit the same features and/or operate substantiallythe same as its counterpart.

Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 represents wireless headset 220including adaptable speaker system 224, in combination with mobiletelephone 210 including adaptable speaker system 214, thatrepresentation is provided merely as an example. In one embodiment, forexample, user environment 200 may include only a single communicationdevice equipped with an adaptable speaker system, such as mobiletelephone 210 including adaptable speaker system 214. Alternatively, inother embodiments, a user environment may include multiple interactivecommunication devices each including adaptable speaker systems.

Because a speaker can operate as a bi-directional transducer, anadaptable speaker system can be implemented for dual use as both aspeaker and a microphone. In its capacity as a microphone, an adaptablespeaker system can be configured to pickup or detect an echo (e.g., anexternal cue) produced by interaction of the speaker output with anearby object, such as a human head, or an ear canal. Such an echo mayindicate a proximity of a nearby object. Moreover, a communicationdevice using such an adaptable speaker system may additionally beconfigured to distinguish between a human head, an ear canal, or forexample, a hard table surface based on characteristics of a detectedecho. Such an echo may comprise, for example, a reflected audio wavegenerating a corresponding reflected or delayed return signal evidencedas a transient in, for example, a power level used to drive an adaptablespeaker system.

In one embodiment, the echo or speaker output feedback received by anadaptable speaker system could be used to modulate a measured currentdraw of the adaptable speaker system, for example, which in turn couldbe detected using, for example, control circuitry of a communicationdevice in which the adaptable speaker system resides. For example, inone embodiment, a wireless headset equipped with an adaptable speakersystem, e.g., wireless headset 220 equipped with adaptable speakersystem 224, could be configured to measure a reflected or return signalresulting from an output test signal produced by adaptable speakersystem 224. Such test signal may be audible or inaudible, for example,and may be ultrasonic. However, the return signal may also result from atypical output signal associated with normal use of, for example, mobiletelephone 210. The return signal, detected through use of adaptablespeaker system 224 and control circuitry (not shown in FIG. 2 ) ofwireless headset 220, for example, could then be used to determinewhether or not wireless headset 220 is being worn by user 202, e.g.,whether adaptable speaker system 224 is situated in or adjacent to theear canal of user 202.

It should be noted that in addition or as an alternative to using aspeaker of adaptable speaker system as a microphone, one or morerelatively high quality microphones may be integrated into adaptablespeaker system 214 and/or adaptable speaker system 224, for example, inorder to pick up or detect an external cue with substantially increasedsensitivity, or to enhance operation of a speaker of the adaptablespeaker systems as a microphone. For example, a speaker of adaptablespeaker system 214 may be non-uniformly shaped in such a way as toprovide some directionality information with respect to a proximity of anearby object. In order to provide additional directionality informationand, for example, reduce an error range for directionality of a nearbyobject, one or more relatively high quality microphones may beintegrated into adaptable speaker system 214 to provide multiple returnsignals having multiple delays, for example, which may be used tosubstantially reduce an error range in determining directionality to anearby object. Alternatively, or in addition, additional integratedmicrophones may be used to enable reception of signals typically outsidethe sensitivity of a speaker of, for example, adaptable speaker system214. Although such integrated microphones may include additional drivecircuitry separate from drive circuitry for a speaker of, for example,adaptable speaker system 214, integration with adaptable speaker system214 provides enhanced proximity detection capability, relative toconventional microphone arrangements, and may do so withoutsubstantially increasing a number of discrete sensors included in, forexample, mobile telephone 210.

In one embodiment, adaptable speaker system 224 could be used bywireless headset 220 to control an operating state of adaptable speakersystem 224, wireless headset 220, or both. For example, feedback from atypical communication signal or, alternatively, an audible or inaudibletest signal, issued by adaptable speaker system 224 could be used toautomatically determine whether to turn wireless headset 220 on and/ormaintain wireless headset 220 in an on state when wireless headset 220is being worn by user 202, as well as to determine whether toautomatically turn off wireless headset 220 when the proximity detectionperformed using adaptable speaker system 224 determines that wirelessheadset 220 is not being worn. Once such an operating state foradaptable speaker system 224 and/or wireless headset 220 is determined,the operating state may be applied to adaptable speaker system throughuse of, for example, control circuitry of wireless headset 220.

Analogously, adaptable speaker system 214 of mobile telephone 210 can beutilized by mobile telephone 210 to determine which of several optionalcommunication modes to activate. Each such communication mode maycomprise an operating state for adaptable speaker system 214. Forexample, detection of a human ear in near proximity to adaptable speakersystem 214 could cause the audio output of mobile telephone 210 to beprovided in handset mode, while the absence of such proximity, or,alternatively, detection of a table surface in near proximity to mobiletelephone 210, could cause mobile telephone 210 to automaticallyactivate a speaker-phone mode. In other embodiments, proximity detectionmay be used to choose one speaker or one display surface over anotherbased on which surface is, for example, in contact with a table, cheek,or hand. In addition, by combining the distortion detection capabilitydescribed previously, which allows a speaker of adaptable speaker system214 to be driven louder than conventional speakers, with proximitydetection, as described above, a speaker-phone mode may be automaticallyenabled, and one speaker of adaptable speaker system 214, for example,may be used for both typical use (e.g., cradled against a human ear) anda speaker-phone mode without risk of damage to adaptable speaker system214.

As such, the presence of adaptable speaker systems 224 and 214 inrespective communication devices 220 and 210 can enhance a transparencyof interactivity between each of the devices and between the devices andtheir environment. For example, wearing of wireless headset 220 could beautomatically detected by wireless headset 220 and cause all audiocommunications through paired mobile telephone 210 to be routed throughwireless headset 220. Thus, user 202 need not be inconvenienced byhaving to turn wireless headset 220 on or off, rather, simply wearingwireless headset 220 is sufficient to activate it.

As another example, consider the circumstance in which user 202 is in ahands free situation in which it is illegal or unsafe to use mobiletelephone 210 in handset mode, such as when driving a motor vehicle, forinstance. Further assume that although user 202 is wearing wirelessheadset 220, wireless headset 220 powers off of its own accord, perhapsdue to exhaustion of its battery power source. In the event of anincoming call under those circumstances, adaptable speaker system 214and mobile telephone 210 could detect the absence of proximity to, forexample, an ear of user 202, and the incoming call could automaticallybe answered in speaker-phone mode, freeing user 202 from theinconvenience or possible safety or legal risk associated with having tomanually select speaker-phone mode in a hands free situation. Thus, anadaptable speaker system configured for proximity detection, accordingto the present inventive principles, can be implemented toadvantageously enhance the user experience of operating a singlecommunication device, as well as to enhance the transparentinteractivity of two or more paired devices, enabling a user to morefully exploit their available features.

It should be noted that although proximity detection has been describedwith respect to embodiments including an adaptable speaker system, thisis not mean to limit the scope of the present invention, and otherembodiments may detect proximity using the same method described abovebut with conventional speaker systems and microphone arrangements only,or in addition to the use of an adaptable speaker system, as explainedabove. Such embodiments add little to no additional manufacturing costover conventional communication devices, yet provide the additionalfunctionality without a need for additional sensors or sensorcapability.

However, by being able to detect proximity in addition to concurrentlyproviding speaker output, embodiments of the present invention offerenhanced additional functionality without requiring the additional costand space for relatively large additional mechanical components, such asa separate pressure sensor to detect proximity, for example. Moreover,as explained above, this additional functionality may also enableautomatic application of operating states corresponding to proximitygenerally as well as to proximity to a distinguishable type of object,such as a human ear distinguishable from a table surface, for example.

In other embodiments in which the microphone sensitivity of adaptablespeaker system 224, for example, is sufficiently high, adaptable speakersystem 224 may be used to detect audible movements of a nearby object,such as vibrations in a human ear canal corresponding to speech by auser of wireless headset 220, for example. Acting concurrently as amicrophone and a speaker, adaptable speaker system 224 and wirelessheadset 220 may detect such a local voice-generated signal (e.g., anexternal cue) and use such detection to determine a corresponding noisecancellation strategy for both adaptable speaker system 224 as well asfor any other communication signals transmitted or received by wirelessheadset 220. Subsequently, wireless headset 220 may apply such acorresponding noise cancellation strategy.

For example, in one embodiment, control circuitry in wireless headset220 (not shown) may be configured to receive a measured signal fromadaptable speaker system 224 corresponding to both an output speakersignal and a microphone transient signal. The control circuitry mayadditionally be configured, for example, to subtract the known outputspeaker signal from the measured signal to isolate and detect thetransient signal. As described above, this transient signal may indicateproximity by simply comprising a delayed reflection of the outputspeaker signal. Additionally, however, the transient signal may alsocomprise a local voice-generated signal received by adaptable speakersystem 224. Under such circumstances, the control circuitry of wirelessheadset 220 may be configured to detect the presence of such a localvoice-generated signal in the transient signal by, for example,isolating the local voice-generated signal from the transient signal.Isolation of a local-voice-generated signal may be performed, forexample, through subtraction of a synthesized delayed reflection of theoutput speaker signal from the transient signal, through comparison ofthe transient signal with a microphone signal generated by, for example,a microphone of wireless headset 220 (not shown in FIG. 2 ), such asmicrophone 117 of mobile telephone 110 in FIG. 1 , or through anycombination of the above, in addition to other known signal detectionmethods. Upon affirmatively detecting a local voice-generated signalreceived by adaptable speakers system 110, the control circuitry mayfurther be configured to apply a less aggressive noise cancellationstrategy, for example, for the adaptable speaker system. Alternatively,if no local-voice generated signal is detected, a more aggressive noisecancellation strategy may be applied since the aggressive noisecancellation would not interfere with speech of user 202.Correspondingly, this selection of noise cancellation strategy may beapplied to a communication signal transmitted to another communicationsdevice.

Although the above embodiment is described such that control circuitry(not shown in FIG. 2 ) of wireless headset 220 and adaptable speakersystem 224 are utilized for signal detection, state determination, anddynamic adaptation, it should be understood that in alternativeembodiments, where wireless headset 220 and mobile telephone communicateover communication link 250, for example, either or both adaptablespeaker systems 214 and 224 may be used in conjunction with either orboth control circuitries of mobile telephone 210 and wireless headset220 to perform the tasks outlined above.

In addition, it should be understood that adaptable speaker systems 214and 224 may additionally or alternatively use one or more integratedmicrophones to determine a microphone transient signal, as describedabove.

By being capable of detecting local voice-generated signals, in additionto concurrently providing speaker output as well as, in someembodiments, proximity detection, as described above, embodiments of thepresent invention may provide extensive additional features with littleto no additional cost or space requirements over that required toprovide the basic functionality of a speaker system. Moreover,embodiments of the present invention may reduce an overall discretecomponent number conventionally associated with such features whileproviding the additional functionality, which may serve to reducegeneral power consumption as well as overall manufacturing cost, therebyincreasing the relative utility and marketability of representativecommunication devices. Furthermore, proximity detection performed asdescribed above, using acoustic means, may provide proximity data forobjects that are further away than what is detectable by conventionalcapacitive means, for example, and may provide less error-proneproximity detection than conventional means, particularly when used inconjunction with an ultrasonic test signal, as described above.

Moving now to FIG. 3 , FIG. 3 shows a power charger and a mobilecommunication device including an adaptable antenna configured toreceive power wirelessly from the power charger, according to oneembodiment of the present inventive concepts. Charging environment 300includes mobile telephone 310 including battery 341 and adaptableantenna 340. Mobile telephone 310 corresponds to mobile telephone 110 inFIG. 1 a ; e.g., each corresponding structure may be configured toexhibit the same features and/or operate substantially the same as itscounterpart. Also shown in FIG. 3 is power charger 330 includingelectrical plug interface 331.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , power charger 330 isconfigured to connect to a mains AC power line through a standard wallmounted electrical socket, using electrical plug interface 331 forexample, and to provide power to mobile telephone 310. In addition,power charger 330 may be configured to support a back channelcommunication between itself and mobile telephone 310. According to theembodiment of FIG. 3 , power transfer is implemented wirelessly. Powermay be transferred from power charger 330 to mobile telephone 310through inductive coupling, or resonant inductive coupling, for example,using adaptable antenna 340 of mobile telephone 310. In one suchembodiment, for example, mobile telephone 310 can be configured toutilize the inductive link used for power transfer as a wirelesscommunication channel. Alternatively, mobile telephone 310 can beconfigured to access a communication unit resident on power charger 330(communication unit not shown in FIG. 3 ) to establish a suitablewireless communication link independent of the inductive link used forpower transfer, such as a Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, or WiFi mediatedlink, for example.

Adaptable antenna 340 may comprise a multi-mode coil antenna, forexample, configured to support one or more communication modes, inaddition to mediating inductive power transfer from power charger 330.For example, adaptable antenna 340 may be a coil configured to supportnear field communication (NFC), radio-frequency identification (RFID),or frequency modulated (FM) communications, for example, or anycombination of these individual modes. In addition to being operable inat least one communication mode, adaptable antenna 340 can be configuredso as to be tunable for use in a power transmission mode. Tuning ofadaptable antenna 340 may be accomplished by appropriate tapping-off ofadaptable antenna 340, for example, as well as by including anadditional tank circuit within the circuitry of adaptable antenna 340 ormobile telephone 310. In some embodiments, adaptable antenna 340, theadditional tapping-off of adaptable antenna 340, and at least oneadditional tank circuit may be integrated into a single device.

For example, mobile telephone 310 may include control circuitry (notshown in FIG. 3 ) configured to receive an external cue or request foreither a particular communication mode or a power transmission mode, forexample, over a communication link or through user interaction. Such arequest may comprise, for example, a communication request for aparticular communication mode from, for example, a separatecommunication device, a request for power, a power-monitoring request, arequest from power charger 330, a request from battery 341, or anycombination of the above. Upon detecting such a request, the controlcircuitry may be further configured to determine a desired state foradaptable antenna 340 by determining that a present mode of adaptableantenna 340 is different from the requested mode and determining a newconfiguration for adaptable antenna that corresponds to the requestedmode. For example, while in NFC mode, a user may request an FM mode, andan FM configuration for adaptable antenna 340 may be determined.

Subsequently, the control circuitry may be configured to adapt adaptableantenna 340 to produce the requested mode by applying the newconfiguration corresponding to the requested mode. Such newconfiguration may comprise, for example, tuning adaptable antenna 340 tothe requested mode by, as explained above, appropriate tapping-off ofadaptable antenna 340, for example, as well as by switching in anadditional tank circuit within the circuitry of adaptable antenna 340 ormobile telephone 310.

Thus, according to the present inventive concepts, a single antennaincluded in mobile telephone 310, such as an NFC antenna incorporatedinto a backplate of mobile telephone 310, for example, can serve dual ormultiple mode use as an adaptable antenna configured to support bothcommunication and power transfer. For example, in one embodiment,adaptable antenna 340 could be implemented to be adaptable forsupporting both NFC at a frequency of approximately 13.56 MHz, and foruse as an inductive power transfer coil at frequencies in the range ofapproximately 1 MHz. As such, embodiments of the present inventionadvantageously provide a communication device system architecture lessprone to interference, substantially smaller and less costly toimplement relative to conventional devices without similarly adaptablecomponents.

From the above description of the invention it is manifest that varioustechniques can be used for implementing the concepts of the presentinvention without departing from its scope. Moreover, while theinvention has been described with specific reference to certainembodiments, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize thatchanges can be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand the scope of the invention. As such, the described embodiments areto be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Itshould also be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular embodiments described herein, but is capable of manyrearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing fromthe scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A speaker system, comprising: a speaker;and circuitry configured to: detect an echo of an output from thespeaker reflected by an object outside the speaker system; determine,based on the echo, a proximity of the speaker system to the objectcomprising a human ear canal; control an operating state of the speakersystem based on the determined proximity; detect audible movement of theobject from vibrations in the human ear canal corresponding to speech bya user of the speaker system; and apply noise cancellation to thespeaker system based at least on the detected audible movement.
 2. Thespeaker system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configuredto provide a test signal to the speaker, and wherein the output of thespeaker comprises the test signal.
 3. The speaker system of claim 2,wherein the test signal output by the speaker is inaudible to a user ofthe speaker system.
 4. The speaker system of claim 3, wherein the testsignal is ultrasonic.
 5. The speaker system of claim 1, wherein the echois picked up by the speaker operating as a bi-directional transducer. 6.The speaker system of claim 1, further comprising: a microphone, whereinthe echo is picked up by the microphone.
 7. The speaker system of claim6, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: detect audiblemovement of the object picked up by the microphone.
 8. The speakersystem of claim 7, wherein the circuitry is further configured to reducethe noise cancellation in response to detecting the speech by the user.9. The speaker system of claim 7, wherein the circuitry is furtherconfigured to: remove a speaker signal corresponding to the output ofthe speaker from a measured signal picked up by the microphone toisolate a transient signal; and remove a synthesized delayed reflectionof the speaker signal from the transient signal to isolate the audiblemovement of the object.
 10. The speaker system of claim 1, wherein thecircuitry is further configured to: determine a type of the object basedon properties of the detected echo; and control the operating state ofthe speaker system based on the determined type of the object.
 11. Thespeaker system of claim 1, wherein the operating state of the speakersystem includes an on state, and wherein the circuitry is furtherconfigured to maintain the operating state of the speaker system in theon state when the speaker system is determined to be proximate to theobject.
 12. A speaker system, comprising: a speaker; and circuitryconfigured to: detect an echo of an output from the speaker reflected byan object outside the speaker system; determine, based on the echo, aproximity of the speaker system to the object comprising a human earcanal; maintain an operating state of the speaker system in an on statewhen the speaker system is determined to be proximate to the object;detect audible movement of the object from vibrations in the human earcanal corresponding to speech by a user of the speaker system; and applynoise cancellation to the speaker system based at least on the detectedaudible movement.
 13. The speaker system of claim 12, wherein thecircuitry is further configured to: determine, based on the echo, aproximity of the speaker system to the object; and control an operatingstate of the speaker system based on the determined proximity.
 14. Thespeaker system of 13, wherein the circuitry is further configured toprovide a test signal to the speaker system, and wherein the output fromthe speaker system comprises the test signal.
 15. The speaker system ofclaim 14, wherein the test signal output by the speaker system isinaudible to a user of the speaker system.